Installation to Begin on Midgely Bridge Suicide Prevention Fence

U.S. Forest Service and Arizona Department of Transportation officials will start to build fencing at Midgely Bridge near Sedona next week.

Credit Paul Davenport / Associated Press

Four suicides occurred in 2015 at the site along State Route 89A. It was a major spike from previous years. ADOT officials say the new 10-foot-tall chain-link fence will be attached to the bridge’s railing, and is designed to be hard to climb. Officials have already installed signs with the number for a suicide prevention hotline in the area.

The installation will begin Monday with lane closures and alternating traffic in the evening. The project is expected to be finished by December 23rd.

The iconic formation called Ship Rock sails like a stately clipper ship 1,700 feet above the surrounding desert of northwest New Mexico. It’s the craggy remnant of a volcanic explosion that occurred about 30 million years ago, with long dikes extending from its base.